The Mage
by VTCentaurea
Summary: AU. A young girl has spent her life in the Insane Asylum. But is she really as insane as she seems?
1. Chapter 1

Any feedback is much appreciated, I hope you enjoy!

Warning: This fic is most definitely AU.

Part 1

There is a place they never talk to anyone about, a place for people who are, to say the least, different. There are no such things as windows in these buildings, for the residents can't be trusted near them. The residents can't be trusted near anything or anyone, not even each other. Yet they live in their small white rooms, padding surrounding them. Some are allowed to walk around outside of their white cells, even outside the thick walls of this dungeon, but those are the ones who haven't yet been driven to complete insanity.

Some are calm, some are violent, but none speak a word to the others. Some have forgotten words entirely, and others have never in their lives learned what they are. There are those few who are able to speak, able to communicate with their jailers, able to live as normal life as possible inside this place. Have you guessed what this dark place is yet? This dark, snow colored place? It is an Asylum, or, as most of you might know it better, an Insane Asylum. But are all people who are held here as insane as they seem?

A young girl sat in her small dorm-sized white room. The long coat made it near impossible for her to move at all, but she kept winding her arms tighter around a small blue box that sat in her lap on the inside of the jacket. Her tiny fingers stroked the smooth top of the box, humming quietly to herself as she waited for the green eyed man to bring in her food. After a few minutes, the door creaked open and she heard his footsteps, but didn't turn to see him.

"Hello." Her mouse-like voice squeaked. A tray was sat beside her and she saw the man kneel next to her, getting some mashed potatoes on a small spoon. "What is it like today? Is the sun out?" Again, she got no reply, only the spoon raised to her mouth. She ate the bite, and then swallowed almost immediately. "Can I go outside today?" She asked, smiling at the mute man. She'd figured out the first time he'd visited that he was a mute. As a small child, he'd been caught in a fire and his vocal cords had been geminately damaged. When they'd finished this usual exchange of him feeding her as she asked question after question with occasional nods of his head.

The green eyed man stood and picked up the now empty tray then walked to the door. But instead of closing it behind him, he held it open, waving at her to come with him. The girl stood, practically running out the door in anticipation. Once a month, she was allowed outside unlike any of the other prisoners. Another dark eyed man sat in a chair outside her room, and he looked up at her as she emerged from the bright padded room.

"Hello 906." he said in his monotonous voice.

"Hello Doorman." She grinned back at him, skipping out of the circular room and out into the bright sunshine. The Green Eyed man came out from behind her and unstrapped the white coat, then nodded a goodbye before heading back inside. And for the first time in a month, she was free.

Usually, a young child would spend any free time running around the outdoor paradise, but 906 just walked casually over to the pond and sat on the edge, dipping the very bottom of her feet in the water. She sighed happily, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face and the cool, calm water on her toes. Wait... not calm... there were tiny waves splashing now against her ankles. 906 opened her eyes, staring down as the water rippled and splashed, then looking up at where the waves were coming from.

Someone, or something, was coming to the surface. She brought her feet up on the dock and stood, clutching the box harder till she feared it would break. The thing looked like a closed off tube, but rounded at the top, and had one long stock coming from the part facing her.

"You will be exterminated." It said in a scratchy high voice. The girl screamed, and then looked back at the water as many more of the creatures emerged from the shallow pond, slowly creeping toward her.

"You can't have it!" She said, shielding the box from their view. A loud sound filled the air from behind her, and she braced for some sort of impact, thinking the creatures had come up from behind her, but was surprised to feel warm small hands on her arms, and a boy's voice telling her to follow him. 906 obeyed; too scared of the creatures to question where the boy had come from. Doors shut behind her when she entered a circular room.

"Who are you? What is this place?" She asked the boy as he moved to the control panel.

"I am... um... call me The Doctor. Yeah, that sounds right... and this... this is a TARDIS. There are hundreds of them where we're from!" He beamed at her. "What's your name?"

"We? There are more of you...? And my names... um..." 906 paused; no one had ever actually asked her about a name. She'd been called her number for years.

"Your names "um"?" He asked, confused.

"Oh, no! It's just... well... I've never had a name before." She admitted.

"What do people call you?"

"990066... 906 for short."

"A number?" He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Why don't you pick a name for yourself?"

"Magenta. 990066 is Magenta on the Hex Number Color Scale... Just call me Mage for short."

"Mage? Alright... I like it!" He grinned, and she gave him a bright smile in return. "Now, time for us to go home, Mage."


	2. Chapter 2

Any feedback is much appreciated, I hope you enjoy!

Warning: This fic is most definitely AU.

Part 2

"Home? I... I don't have a home either... I live at the Asylum..."

"No, that's where you ended up here... but that's not your home... Your home is full of millions of Time Lords and Ladies just like you and I."

"Time Lords? What's a Time Lord?" She asked, now sitting on one of the steps. The young Doctor pressed a few more buttons then walked over and sat beside her

"A Time Lord is... well... They are from Gallifrey, a planet that is light-years away from Earth. Time Lords travel through time and space... they can be anywhere and any when they want to be."

"And... this Gallifrey... is that where you're from?"

"No... It's where WE are from. You and I." He said then stood again. "We've landed... now, once we get there... just... don't freak out. Gallifrey is much different then Earth." The Doctor gave a nervous laugh, and then opened the TARDIS doors. "Welcome home!" He grinned at Mage.

Mage stepped out of the doors, and then was made speechless by the shining Silver-Leafed trees, bright red grass and the burnt orange sky.

"I always did like the night sky here..." The Doctor stepped out from behind her, giving her shoulder a gentle nudge. Mage looked back at him, feeling the tears slide down her face.

"It's beautiful... thank you for everything-"

"Don't be thanking me yet!" He grinned, taking her hand and running up a red hill, then throwing himself down, bringing Mage with him. Both of the children broke out in giggling fits as they stared up at the sky. Mage ran her hand through the grass, and then took a hold of some of it, being careful not to pick it out of the ground. Mage looked down at the box then, which was sitting on her stomach.

"Doctor..." She sat up. "I have something for you... you've given me all of this and... I know you deserve it." She handed him the box. "You can open it if you'd like." He stared at it a while before opening the lid, and the hill was filled with a blinding light that slowly faded back to the box.

"If used for unselfish reasons, it can made any one person live forever." She explained as he brought the necklace out of its case.

"Is this what the Daleks were after?"

"Daleks? Is that what those things are called? I don't know what they were there for... I was sure no one but myself knew of the star..." Mage looked at the ground, twirling a blade of grass with her finger.

"Well then, it'll be just between us now." He smiled and she nodded, a smile forming on her face as well. "Friends?" He reached out a hand and Mage took it.

"Always."


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, sadly this is the end unless anyone wants me to write more. This fic is open for more chapters! Thank you for reading =) Hope you enjoy the final chapter!

Feedback is much appreciated, as always.

Part 3

As the years passed, things changed greatly. The Doctor sat on the steps of his TARDIS, holding that same box as Mage had given him hundreds of years before. He smiled at the memories that swarmed around in his head. He could clearly remember the years on Gallifrey, introducing her to the language and the people. She'd been a natural at everything, but always told him he was just a great teacher.

He opened the lid of the box, and it opened smoothly just like it had done back then, then he pulled out the still brightly glowing necklace.

_"I'm leaving, Mage..." The Doctor announced as they sat against a tree in the forest. _

_"Alright, i'll wait for you here." She opened her eyes to smile at him. _

_"No, i mean i'm leaving... To travel... I'm going to borrow a TARDIS."_

_"Just like we always talked about." Her smile got brighter. _

_"Come with me? We could have real adventures, not just dream about going everywhere, we really could..." He said quickly, excited. Mage's smile dropped. _

_"Doctor... I... I can't."_

_"Why not?" He frowned. Mage answered by running her hand along the grass and smiling sadly at him, and he understood. She couldn't leave her home. She'd already been forced to once before. _

_"I'll tell you what... Go on adventures, see the stars... and in a few years, come back here and i'll go with you." The Doctor heisitated, but soon agreed to it. _

_"I will come back for you." He stood up, holding his hand out to help her up, and she took it, standing with him and giving him a final hug. _

_"Friends?" _

_"Always." He answered. _

The Doctor opened his eyes, setting the necklace down inside the box and closing the lid just as Donna walked over and sat beside him.

"You okay?" She asked, and he answered by nodding and looking at her. She held her hand out smiling, and he took it, smiling in return.


End file.
